The manufacture of tote box seals typically involves the simultaneous molding of a plurality of individual tote box seals thus forming a single unit which is usually called a mat. The individual tote box seals in the mat as molded are joined at their tips by a runner or strip of plastic which is formed by a portion of the mold which distributes the plastic raw material to individual mold cavities to form the individual tote box seals. The runners must be removed prior to packaging the seals for use. In addition to being joined at their tips by the runner, adjacent individual tote box seals are joined together by thin portions of plastic material.
The simultaneous molding of a plurality of tote box seals as a single unit or mat provides an economy of manufacture as the simultaneous manufacture of a plurality of tote box seals reduces the total number of molding cycles required. However, this economy of manufacture results in a need to separate the tote box seals into either single or individual tote box seals or groups of two seals or another desired grouping of seals prior to packaging for use. There is a requirement for accuracy in the separation process since in selected applications the tote box seals must be used as pairs, for example to seal opposite ends of a tote box and as a result the pairs of tote box seals must carry specific individual identification indicia. During, use individual seals from different pairs cannot be mixed.
In the packaging of tote box seals it is desirable for the seals to be packaged in a flat and orderly stack rather than a tangled and random pile. As a result, there is a need to provide a way to cut the mat of tote box seals apart, remove the connecting runner and stack the cut seals in a container to form an orderly stack. At the present time these requirements cannot be met by available equipment which can perform this task in an efficient and reliable manner.